1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seeding apparatus.
The invention particularly relates, but is not limited to, seeding apparatus to plant grains or seeds in row(s) spaced from fertiliser(s) and/or other chemicals (e.g. herbicides or fungicides).
Throughout the specification, the term “seeds” shall included grains and seeds, where the grains or seeds may be planted to grow crops including (but not limited to) wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye, triticale, sunflowers, safflowers, or the like; and shall also peas, chickpeas, beans, legumes, flowers seeds, or the like; and the term “tillage implement” shall include a cultivator, disc plough or like machine.
2. Prior Art
NB: The following discussion is by way of background information only, and is not to be considered a statement of the common general knowledge (CGK) in the area of technology anywhere in the world.
The relationship between seed and fertiliser placement is crucial to plant growth and health.
Fertiliser should never be placed directly below the seed.
When soil moisture is limited, roots will always grow down to seek moisture and can enter a band of concentrated fertiliser, that is toxic to the plants when moisture stressed.
Fertiliser should never be deep banded (i.e. 30 mm or more below the seeds). Winter crops will suffer in early growth stages if the soil remains cold and wet, and the plants can't access the fertiliser that has been deep banded. In these conditions, fertiliser is very prone to leeching, making it inaccessible to the plants at later growth stages.
As the feeder roots on plants grow laterally, it is ideal to position fertiliser in a band adjacent to the planted seeds. In dry conditions, with this positioning, the roots can access deep subsoil moisture without being detrimental to plant growth and health.
Achieving successful paired seed rows delivers optimum competition against weeds, and promotes early crop canopy closure for moisture retention.
Examples of prior art solutions include:
The Stiletto™ boot bolts behind any tyned tillage implement and uses a knife point to open the soil. The fertiliser tube is positioned in front of the paired row seed tubes. With this configuration, the fertiliser is deep banded; and the fertiliser tube blocks with mud in certain conditions. The paired row seed tubes have small outlets, restricting the flow of larger seeds e.g. peas, chickpeas, beans etc. The outlets of the paired row seed tubes face downwardly, and can block with mud in certain conditions. The boot is big and bulky, creating excessive soil throw, thereby resulting in chemical damage to the seedlings; and leaves deep furrows in the planted soil, making it rough to drive on.
The Atom Jet™ boot bolts in front of any tyned tillage implement. It does not use a knife point to open the soil; and so the boot is exposed to premature wear. Seed bed preparation is also compromised as knife points play a pivotal role in achieving this. The Atom Jet™ boot is designed to place seed and fertiliser on the same plane. This restricts the amount of fertiliser that can be applied, as high rates of fertiliser in the seed zone can result in fertiliser toxicity of the seedling. This system does not create a loosened section of soil below the seedbed for strong establishment of roots, resulting in what is called a “hard pan”. Hoses and seed and fertiliser tubes may also exposed to premature wear from rocks and soil because of their orientation in front of the tynes.
The John Deere® 1890™ is a very complex disc seeding implement that has a soil-opening disc that is set at 7° to the direction of travel; a gauge wheel; a seed firmer wheel; a furrow closer wheel; and a single shoot seed/fertiliser tube. In heavy stubble loads, the implement requires an Aricks wheel to clear the stubble residue. It has many grease nipples; many moving parts; and requires considerable maintenance, e.g. the discs need replacing once they have worn 25 mm off their radius. In addition, the 1890™ implement produces no under-seed tilth for strong root growth; only provides seed and fertiliser to be placed down the same tube; and suffers from seed bounce. Hair pinning is another big problem. (Hair pinning occurs when stubble/residue is stuffed into the seed bed causing poor emergence of the plants; disease in the plants; and chemical toxicity from pre-emergent herbicides.) Chemical incorporation is less than adequate, as soil disturbance is close to nil.
The Cross slot/bio Blade™ implement has a scalloped soil-opening disc that runs true (i.e. at 0°) to its direction of travel; and two soil opener plates, with delivery tubes one on each side of the soil-opening disc. These plates are individually adjustable, and deliver seed or fertiliser in each tube. The implement has two press wheels (i.e. one on each side of the disc) that govern the depth of the entire assembly. The soil-opening disc and opener plates require frequent replacement; and the entire implement requires constant maintenance. Seeding in wet conditions is impossible, as the implement generates a big mud ball; the soil-opening disc stalls; and the seed and fertiliser tubes become blocked.
There are many other types of disc seeder implements including triple discs; double discs; and single disc. All types of disc seeder implements currently available are very expensive; produce crops with poor early plant vigour; require expensive/frequent ongoing maintenance; and are limited to when they can be used in certain conditions.
A summary of the problems of existing products includes (but is not limited to):
a) Excessive soil throw by the boot;
b) Poor root growth;
c) Seed tube blockages;
d) Fertiliser tube blockages;
e) Excessive mud build-up on the boots;
f) Wear protection failure;
g) Seed bounce, resulting in poor (or nil) seed encapsulation in the soil
h) Hair pinning (as discussed above);
i) Poor early vigour of crop;
j) Poor chemical incorporation;
k) Disc stalling (i.e. stops rotating and wears unevenly); and
l) Expensive to purchase (i.e. high capital costs) and to maintain (with resultant loss in productivity).